Aerocity overcomes hurdles, to start operations by March

Aerocity overcomes hurdles, to start operations by March

Having overcome roadblocks, the prestigious Aerocity will start functioning by the end of current fiscal. However, it would be fully operational by 2014. In an exclusive and his first-ever interview with the media, I Prabhakara Rao, CEO, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) told The Pioneer, “Most of the issues related to the project have been addressed and the 45-acre site is expected to be fully operational by the year 2014.”

Rao said the 315-room Ibis hotel, a joint venture of Accor Hospitality Group and Interglobe Group, and developed on the 1.7-acre site, with an investment of Rs 180 crore, was expected to receive guests from March next year. Rao added, “The project will remarkably develop the IGI airport into a new hub, like the Singapore and Thailand airports and will place it on the list of preferred destinations on the world map. The work on the other hotels is also on the full swing.”

It is notable that the development of luxury hotels, next to Indira Gandhi International Airport, was hit by the security concerns due to its close proximity to the runway. The Delhi Police had raised objections to the 200 m proximity of the site to the runway, claiming that this could make the runway vulnerable to attacks. “We were informed on some of the security issues on the project. For the same, a committee had been set up to submit its report. Till now we haven’t got any negative response from the committee and we are going ahead with all the clearances we had sought earlier.”

Rao also unveiled the next phase of development for the airport as it expected the passenger traffic to cross 60 million by 2016. “We have plans ready for the phase 3 of expansion that would include development of Terminal 4. It will tentatively come by 2016 and will be triggered by the growth in traffic movement. Phase 3 will also comprise of expansion of T3, including piers and addition of a new runway. We have also planned for the expansion of catering facilities, addition of an Air Traffic Control Tower and Cargo facilities.”

Terminal 2, according to Rao, will continue to serve as a buffer for specific movements such as that of Haj traffic and the Libyan flights it handled last year. It will also be very useful once the construction on proposed Terminal 4 commences. He said, “Building Terminal 3 in a record-making time of 37 months was the foremost challenge our team faced. We were told to meet the Commonwealth Games deadline when the airport was handed over to us in the year 2006. The T3 has won us many unexpected awards such as the Smart Asia award, Russian Golden Chariot Award and the British Concessionaire Industry Award. This year we are expected to be placed at the sixth position on the list of world’s international airports and our aim is to bag the number one spot, currently occupied by the Incheon (Seoul) Airport.”